er and serjeant at his pillar heard his client's cause
and took notes thereof upon his knee, as they do at Guildhall at this
day." He adds: "After the Serjeants' feast ended they do still go to
Paul's in their habits, and there choose their pillar whereat to hear
their client's cause (if any come) in memory of that old custom."

Naturally, the Order of the Coif was jealous of its distinctions and
privileges; and the following incident, for which we are indebted to the
late Mr. Serjeant Ballantine, will serve to illustrate the point.

"I have now," he says, "taken my readers back to my old inn. I will
venture to surround it with all the halo to which it is entitled. We
were, and had from time immemorial been, connected with the Corporation
of the City of London, and inasmuch as the greatest compliment
appreciated by that august body was annually paid to us, we were
doubtless once upon a time of no small importance ourselves. We received
an invitation to dine at the Lord Mayor's on November 9, and arrayed in
robes that gave us as much claim to notice as men in armour, and,
preceded by a personage known as the City Marshal, we were assigned
seats amongst the principal guests at that great festival, and it was
really a sight worthy of notice....

"Upon this occasion it was the office of one of the high officers of the
Corporation, no less a dignitary than the Common Serjeant[8], personally
to convey to us the invitation on the first day of Michaelmas term at
our inn. Sir Thomas Chambers, when he occupied this office, was
accustomed to commit a most amusing blunder. Whether moved by some idea
of his own dignity, or acting under civic instruction, I am unable to
say, but when he came to perform his task he addressed himself solely to
the Judges, not even naming the Serjeants, although the former were
asked only in that capacity, and were included with the Lord Chancellor
and the Equity Judges specially in their official capacity, and invited
by the Lord Mayor himself personally. The Common Serjeant was not,
probably, aware that, whilst it in no respect derogated from his dignity
to convey a message from one great corporation to another, he was
performing the duty of a butler in conveying an invitation to
individuals belonging to it. There was a worthy member of our body, Mr.
Serjeant Woolrych, who had written a most exhaustive book upon the
sewers, and was very learned about City customs, and who exercised his
mind greatly